Don’t Fry Day Promotes Sun Safety— May 27, 2022 |
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To help reduce rising rates of skin cancer from overexposure to the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day as Don’t Fry Day to encourage sun safety awareness and to remind everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors.
The National Council encourages everyone, including non-profit organizations, local, state, and federal governments, public health professionals, and educators to promote skin cancer prevention and sun-safety behaviors by observing Don’t Fry Day this Friday, May 27th. Learn More
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OSHA Sets the Standards for Forklift Safety
by Myron Brown
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Powered industrial trucks, commonly referred to as forklifts, play a vital role in the handling of inventory and materials in most industrial and distribution operations. When forklifts are operated safely by trained personnel, they expedite the smooth and efficient loading, unloading, movement and storage of boxes, crates, pallets, and other materials. Unfortunately, all too often forklifts are used by untrained workers in an unsafe manner, resulting in needless and avoidable accidents, injuries, and death. |
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Powered Industrial Truck violations have consistently appeared on OSHA’s Top 10 list of most frequently cited standards year after year and in FY 2021 ranked #9 with 1420 citations. OSHA publishes its annual Top 10 list to alert employers about commonly cited standards so they can take steps to find and fix recognized hazards. OSHA remains focused not only on promoting forklift safety but also on enforcing its standards for powered industrial trucks. |
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OSHA provides extensive forklift information and resources to support employer compliance and employee training.
All forklifts should be examined at the beginning of each shift by the operator before being placed in service, and the results recorded on an inspection checklist.
OSHA provides an illustrated, detailed overview as an effective training tool.
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Whether employers and workers lack awareness of the risks of operating and working near forklifts or are simply disregarding the risk factors, it’s clear that reducing the potential for serious accidents and injuries should be a high priority for all companies that utilize forklifts. Employers can create a successful forklift safety program by following the procedures outlined in the OSHA Standards for Powered Industrial Trucks, beginning with comprehensive training for all forklift operators. An effective safety program should also include written policies and procedures for forklift inspection and maintenance, and guidelines for safe work practices, traffic management, and general hazard awareness for all employees who work on or near forklifts.
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Employers are responsible for ensuring that every employee who operates a forklift is at least 18 years old and has received comprehensive training and certification before operating a forklift. Training must be conducted by an experienced forklift operator and should include a combination of formal classroom instruction, pre-operation inspection, and practical skills evaluation. Employers must certify that trainees have successfully completed both a written test and a hands-on performance evaluation. Since certified forklift operators must be re-evaluated every 3 years, a record of each operator’s name, date of training and evaluation, and the trainer’s name should be kept on file.
Supervisors can play a key role in enforcing safety guidelines by establishing routes for forklift operation, equipping forklifts with automatic signal alarms to alert nearby workers, and enforcing commonsense traffic rules, including:
- Keep to the right on roadways and wide aisles
- Drive at a reasonable speed depending on location and condition of surface
- Make initial eye contact between operator and pedestrian, then yield to pedestrian
- Never lift or transport co-workers with the forks
- Be alert for wet and slippery surfaces
- Don’t block traffic when parking
- Always set parking brake, lower forks, and neutralize controls when dismounting.
Employers who implement an effective forklift safety program can not only reduce accidents, injuries, and liabilities, but also increase efficiency and productivity, reduce damaged materials and inventory, and operate in full compliance with OSHA standards.
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Myron Brown has been an instructor at the OSHA Training Institute Education Center for 12 years and has worked in the health and safety field for over 28 years with experience in heavy civil construction, commercial construction, and manufacturing environments. Myron has also been involved in his own safety consulting business for 20 years. He has developed and provided training on a wide variety of subjects, including OSHA and Cal/OSHA standards and trainer-level courses. Click Here for a complete list of Myron's upcoming classes.
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The 9th annual National Forklift Safety Day is being held on June 14, 2022. This annual event is sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) and aims to promote safe forklift use and the importance of operator training. Anyone who works in the material handling industry is invited to attend in person (Washington, D.C.) or participate in the virtual event. Speakers for the event include:
- Chuck Pascarelli, Pres., Americas, Hyster-Yale Group (Chair, ITA Board of Directors)
- Douglas Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA
- Jonathan Dawley, President & CEO, KION North America, (NFSD Chair 2022)
- Brian Duffy, Director of Corporate Environmental and Manufacturing Safety, Crown Equipment Corporation
- Rich Trahey, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions, Dematic
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Interested in upcoming OSHA classes?
Click below to learn more and register online.
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Physical distancing and safety guidelines followed, and class sizes are reduced. Proof of vaccination status is required on the Pleasanton campus only.
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In Region IX OSHA numbered Virtual, Instructor-Led classes offered via Zoom are only available to participants located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Call 866-936-6742 if you are unsure if this applies to you.
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5860 Owens Drive
3rd Floor
Pleasanton, CA 94588
Phone: 866-936-6742
Fax: 925-460-0133
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For additional information, email us at otc@clpccd.org or call 866-936-6742.
The recommendations in this newsletter are advisory in nature, informational in content, and intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.
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